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Jump | Jin’s July 2025
- knowledgepostcollege
- Aug 4
- 6 min read
Singing, dancing, and jumping throughout this month.
Lifestyle: Travel & Relationships
Friends
Chicago
This month, I got to reunite with my "OGs" group chat girlies, Emily and Steph. They are my college friends who were in the same fraternity as me, and I was thrilled to reunite for another trip since the last one was in 2023. It was crazy to see Emily living with her boyfriend in Chicago now as they've been together since college. I think hanging out with this group always makes me think of the what-ifs of if I stayed with my ex-boyfriend since everyone is still dating their boyfriends from college and the same frat. However, I feel grateful for the way things unfolded for me since I got to experience so much, and I wouldn't have found my current partner without it. I am always still grateful for everything, and it makes me want to wish him well since we used to all be in the same friend group.
It was so nice to have Emily be our tour guide, and I felt so grateful to her for being such a good host. It was also so nice to be able to shut my brain off and go on autopilot because I'm usually used to being the planner of the group. In a way, I got to be a passenger princess throughout this whole trip, and I couldn't be more appreciative. The trip itself was so much fun, filled with too much good food. I was truly impressed by all of the food because there was not a single meal that did not hit. I am also glad we were still able to do all the tourist activities, such as eating deep dish and going to the Bean. Overall, the trip was so much fun and I can't wait to reunite again.
Birthdays
Karaokes
I had 2 birthday karaoke parties this month for Crystal and Kelsey. I had so much fun singing, jumping, and celebrating with my close friends. I hope that they felt loved and had so much fun.
Axe Throwing
My boyfriend and I also went axe throwing for my friend's birthday party. I've gone axe throwing once before for a work team bonding and realized I was not the best at it. It was the same case this time, but it was still fun to try it with my boyfriend.
Fogo De Chao
My boyfriend and I celebrated his mom's birthday by going to a Brazilian BBQ. It was her and my first time at Fogo De Chao, so it was so much fun to experience a new restaurant for the celebration. I think she really appreciated that I booked the reservation and made the time to get a meal together.
Game Night
I hosted a game night for a couple of my friends in LA, and it was so much fun to gather together. We mostly played Bananagrams because it was Priss's first time playing, and she was having so much fun. I love that even people who don't like Scrabble (me included) found fun in Bananagrams. We also taught a few people Dutch Blitz, and it got polarizing opinions since it's so hectic playing. Overall, it was such a fun and wholesome night that I want to do more of.
Love
1.5 Year Anni
This month was my 1.5-year anniversary with my boyfriend and we celebrated by having a sushi handroll night at his place. It was so much fun going grocery shopping together as well as prepping all the food. We also ended the night watching KPOP Demon Hunter movie on Netflix, while finally building out our Lego set that we had since last year. We built lots of flowers and plants for display.
BLACKPINK Concert
We spontaneously booked a BLACKPINK Concert the week before because I noticed the tickets were pretty cheap and wow did we have a good time. I know their concerts have been getting mixed review but the energy of when you were actually at the concert was so unreal! My boyfriend came out of the concert as a converted BLINK and it was truly one of the best concerts we've been to. I was super excited to hear the new song in person and it truly did sound so fun with all of the lasers as special effects. I also was of the lucky crowd who got Bruno Mars as the guest artist for Rose's song APT. I've never heard the crowd go so wild before and the energy was unmatched. Truly such a fun concert and BLACKPINK has yet to disappoint me.
Family
My brother was in Korea for a few weeks before starting his MBA program, and he is finally back. I told myself that I would grab a meal with my family at least once a week, now that my dad is closer and I've been keeping up with the promise thus far. Despite my busy schedule, I always want to make time for my family, and I'm happy that I've been putting more effort.
Work
Bring Friends to Work Day
This month, my work hosted a bring your friends or family to work day, and I appreciated how much effort they put into this. I brought two of my friends, Sophie and Mish, and I believe they had fun collecting free goodies as well as learning more about the industry I work in. It always feels weird colliding two different worlds together, but it was also fun getting to show around the place I work at.
Gratitude
I felt extra grateful for my job and the job security because I found out that a few of my friends got laid off at their work, as well as a few people at my company got laid off. I know the economy and job market are quite tough right now, so despite all the challenges I face at work, I feel grateful to have a job that can support my life.
Lows & Lessons:
I think I'm always going to struggle finding the right balance of being there for friends and family while prioritizing myself as well. I will say that I have implemented at least one solo day each week, and it has truly come in handy with my sanity. I think I would feel burnt out without it. There was one time when someone asked to please play pickleball during one of my solo nights because one of their friends flaked last minute. Normally, I think I'd feel bad, or because I know I don't have plans other than to rest, I would push myself and say I'm down. However, I decided to be firm on my solo days this month, and it worked out because that day I ended up having really bad cramps, so I would not have enjoyed playing pickleball. I had to remind myself that even if I don't have actual "plans," deciding to rest and spend time alone is already a good enough reason to say no to some plans.
This month, I also learned that everything will come with time. I've been going to yoga for years, and never did I imagine that I would be able to do the splits, but this month I did! I was truly not even expecting it either, but I started to get into position, and then I was like wow did my butt just touch the ground? OMG it did! haha I also used to do the headstand frequently last year, but ever since I couldn't do it once, I have been struggling this year to go back up. However, this month I was able to do it again a couple of times, and for that I was very proud of myself. It shows that sometimes progress is not always linear, and it can go back and forth. However, I never want to give up, and I want to keep going. This also doesn't just apply to yoga, but in life, I know that I won't get the result I want right away, but it's about not giving up and keeping trying.
Songs on Repeat:
Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, KPop Demon Hunters CastGabriela - KATSEYEJUMP - BLACKPINKMy Pick of the Month: Karaoke
It was so much fun singing away with 2 karaoke this month, even though my throat probably needs a break now (lol).
Overall, I had so much fun truly singing, dancing, and jumping my way through life. I hope that I have more fun in the next few days and soak up all the summer sun while I can. I'm hoping to go to the pool and beach more!
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin
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